The Upside Down Show

The Upside Down Show
Written by Alec Greenwalt
Directed by Alec Greenwalt
Starring David Collins, Shane Dundas, Amanda Bishop
Composer(s) Alec Greenwalt
Country of origin  Australia, USA
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive producer(s) Alec Greenwalt
Producer(s) Alec Greenwalt
Editor(s) Alec Greenwalt
Location(s) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Arizona
Cinematography Alec Greenwalt
Distributor Power Animation
Broadcast
Original channel

Noggin

Syndication
Original run 16 October 2005 – 19 February 2006

The Upside Down Show AKA Down Upside is a Logie Award winning[1] live-action daytime children's show featuring Shane Dundas and David Collins that airs on Noggin, Nick Jr. Australia and ABC Australia. The duo gained fame as physical comedians, The Umbilical Brothers, playing brothers who lived together in a strange house with a variety of unusual rooms. The show premiered on Nick Jr. Australia in August 2006 and on Noggin US on 16 October 2006, with 13 episodes developed by the highly acclaimed Sesame Workshop. The Sesame Workshop logo used on this show can only be seen on Noggin.

Initial views of The Upside Down Show were disappointing, as it failed to match the views of Play With Me Sesame and Caillou during the 2006-2007 season. The show's debut was criticized as being similar to Ernie and Bert. On 27 December 2006, in a New York Post interview,[2] Shane Dundas expressed doubts about the return of the show for a second season. On 1 June 2007, the Umbilical Brothers announced on their web site that Nickelodeon/Noggin USA were not interested in a third season of The Upside Down Show, despite its success. In 2007, the show won the Creative Craft Daytime Emmy Award for Main Title Design[3] and a Parents' Choice Award Silver Honor for Television.[4] The show continues in reruns, but in a late night time slot, which is 11:00 PM and 11:30 PM.

Contents

Characters

Executive producer(s) Steve Oedekerk Producer(s) Paul Marshal Nickelodeon Productions Omation Animation Studio

Episode structure

Intro:

Each episode begins with a cold opening showing one or both brothers in the middle of some activity, typically involving something imaginary. After greeting the audience, David introduces "The Remote" by pretending to be holding a remote control. He explains that The Remote can control the action on-screen. He demonstrates by pressing various buttons, which control Shane's actions. For example, "Fast Forward" causes Shane to move and speak fast, "Pause" causes him to freeze. In many episodes, David discovers a previously unknown "Wild-card Button," such as "Humongous" (and its opposite, the "Minute" button). This button causes some strange and/or undesired effect. David then offers The Remote to the viewer and "hands it over" by reaching off-screen downward. The brothers direct the viewer to "press the Play button." At this point, a strange and/or undesired effect happens ("Uh-oh, I think someone pressed the _____ button"). The brothers encourage the viewer to fix the situation by pressing a button for opposite effect. When they ask the viewer to "press play" a second time, the joke is repeated, and the viewer must again press the button for the opposite effect. Finally, Shane and David ask the viewer to "Just press Play" a third time, and the opening credits begin.

Title Sequence:

The Action Fingers enter the frame and perch on the title, which is flipped upside down. Pointy reads the title as "Down Upside" due to its position. Realizing the mistake, they help turn the words "Upside Down" the right way up, and read the title correctly. They then walk along atop the credits until they reach a door. The credits list the stars as David Collins and Shane Dundas, and state that the show was created by Belinda Ward, Shane Dundas, and David Collins.

Plot Structure:

The central objective of every episode is for Shane and David to get to a certain location. However, they do not know how to get there. They spend the episode adventuring through the various red doors in their apartment, as well as searching other places (e.g., under a table, behind a bookcase, inside their sofa). The brothers occasionally request help from the viewers, asking them to press buttons on their remote. Their journey takes them to 3 "Wrong Turn" rooms. In at least one of the rooms, they encounter a child who teaches them something and sets them on the correct path. Eventually they locate their destination and experience something, such as a picnic, farm, or an airport, "for the very first time".

Ending:

The show ends with the brothers back in their apartment. During the last few minutes of the show, they give the viewer an imaginary souvenir to thank them for their help throughout the episode. As the credits begin, Shane and David begin to do things (e.g. in Cowbell, they play as a rockband with Shane yelling out as (Executive Producer Kurt Russel) begins, "One, two, three!" and in Kite, Shane and David are fighting over the string until at the point (Executive In Charge of Sesame Workshop Jodi Nubbasum) credit appears, Shane and David wave left and right their bodies until at the end of the credits, and in Art Museum, Puppet accidentally surprises Shane and David, until at the point where (Executive In Charge of Sesame Workshop Jodi Nubbasum) credit appears, Shane and David pause, and Puppet now freely says, (I think somebody pressed the Pause button.)) Then the episode ends with the Sesame Workshop logo.

Episode guide

There are a few running gags in the show. The main one is the "Upside-Down" button. When this button is pressed (and it is in every episode but one), the viewpoint shifts, with a silly sound effect, to an upside-down shot of whomever is in the scene. The actors' and puppets' hands are held up in the air to make it look as if they are hanging upside down. One of the boys begs the viewer to press the "Right Side Up" button, at which point the viewpoint rights itself. Another sequence seen in each episode is the use of the "Instant Replay" button. The brothers ask the viewer to press this button to see a child do something again. During the slow motion replay, Shane and David play the role of commentators, narrating the action and assessing the child's technique. A more subtle running gag is the fake pineapple that appears in at least three episodes.

Season 1 2005-2006

Episode # Title Original Air-Date Production Code
101 "Movie Theatre" 16 October 2005 (2005-10-16) 101
  • Story: Shane and David make a film (directed by Puppet), then search for the movie theatre to watch it.
  • Wrong Turns: Laundry room, dance studio, and a room with one small chair which the brothers break in an attempt to share it.
  • Main Buttons: Light/Dark, Stumble
  • Instant Replay: To see the little girl do her dance routine again
  • Vocabulary: Stupendous (really great)
  • Puppet: Puppet directs the brothers while filming their movie, shouting "Action" and "Cut." His instructions include having them act as if they are in outer space, as pirates, and as cowboys.
  • Schmuzzies: The Schmuzzies play a rhyming game with the boys, and appear at the end watching Shane and David's movie.
  • Action Fingers: In the laundry room they rescue Barbara, a sock caught in a lint trap, and return her to her socky partner, Lefty (Barbara and Lefty appeared at the end to see Shane and David's movie). They also refold a lady's laundry after crashing into it. This segment is unusual in that the Action Fingers are clearly shown to be David and Shane's hands. In most other Action Fingers segments, David and Shane simply watch the Action Fingers take off, often not standing anywhere near the action.
  • Souvenir: Camera
  In this episode, Shane did not say "Whatever you do don't press the _____ button." 
102 "Barbershop" 17 October 2005 (2005-10-17) 103
  • Story: After visiting the "Very Hairy" room, Shane is apprehensive about getting a haircut. David and his blanket, Bob, help Shane get to the barbershop.
  • Wrong Turns: Very very hairy room, hairbrush room, concert room
  • Main Buttons: Up/Down, Ditty
  • Vocabulary: Apprehensive(nervous), stalling(attempting to avoid something)
  • Puppet: Puppet pretends to be scissors and sings the Figaro Song. Later, Puppet appears covered in stickers after getting a haircut of his own.
  • Schmuzzies: David asks a group of Schmuzzies if they've seen Shane, which they haven't. They sing into fluffy backup hairbrushes at the concert. They move into Shane's long, bedraggled hair thinking it is the Very Very Hairy Room.
  • Instant Replay: Replaying the episode's child co-star, Jade Barber, brushing her hair
  • Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: Shane mentions vacuuming her.
  • Souvenir: Stickers

There is a girl featured in all three wrong turn rooms, as well as in the barbershop itself. Her name, as shown in the closing credits, is Jade Barber. Fido didn't appear in this episode, but was mentioned by Shane.

  
103 "Art Museum" 18 October 2005 (2005-10-18) 102
  • Story: Unable to find a place to hang his newly created masterpiece, Shane, along with David, searches for the art museum to hang it in.
  • Wrong Turns: Sticky room, fog room, museum of finger painting
  • Main Buttons: Humongous/Minute
  • Vocabulary: Humongous (really big)/minute(tiny)
  • Action Fingers: They fingerpaint.
  • Instant Replay: To see the boy mix red, blue, and gold finger paint to make a color called "gurple."
  • Fido the Fly: Fido lands on Shane's hand, compliments his painting, then pulls open the shelf containing the Museum of Finger Painting.
  • Schmuzzies: They are part of the tour group at the art museum. When Shane despairs over not being able to hang his picture, he makes a reference to the Schmuzzy Art Museum, though it never appears in the episode.
  • Puppet: When Shane and David try to hang the picture on a door, they keep getting interrupted by Puppet opening the door and saying, "Ta-da!" He is practicing making grand entrances. At the end, after Shane and David have given the viewer imaginary paints from a box, Puppet pops out of the box and says, "Ta-da!". Puppet says he has been using Burmese-Kumquat-Lavender paint to dye his hair. Shane and David laugh until Puppet realizes the viewers have pressed the Pause button by mistake.
  • Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "See you later, Alligators."
  • Souvenir: Paint kit (with colors blue, red, lime, turquoise and lavender).

This is Fido the Fly's first episode.

  
104 "Pet Shop" 19 October 2005 (2005-10-19) 104
  • Story: Yearning for a relationship like the one between Fido and Shane, David decides he needs a pet. They look for the pet shop.
  • Wrong Turns: Puppy room, parrot room, Dark side of the moon
  • Puppet: Puppet volunteers to be David's pet, imitating a dog, a cat, and a giant squid. David says he thinks of him more as a friend. Later, Puppet makes some suggestions on what type of pet David should get. Puppet appears on the moon and sings "The Dark Side of the Moon" with Shane and David.
  • Main Button: Rotate
  • Instant Replay: To see the dog rotate (roll over).
  • Fido the Fly: Shane and Fido play ping-pong tennis at the beginning of the episode. Later, Fido spends a short moment with Shane, demonstrating tricks. After returning from the moon, the brothers ask Fido if he knows where the pet shop is, which he doesn't. At the end, he plays "Fly on a Chair" with Spot, David's new pet chair.
  • Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: When holding her cat, she says, "His name is Elizabeth."
  • Schmuzzies: They sing backup for David when the Ditty button is pressed. They then make some suggestions on what pet David should get. Shane doesn't appear to be apprehensive of them.
  • Souvenir: Tutorial on what to do with a pet chair

Spot the Chair, David's pet chair, later made a cameo appearance in the episode, Picnic, where he was blown away in the Wind Room. There is also no vocabulary.

  
105 "Camping" 20 October 2005 (2005-10-20) 105
  • Story: After their bedrooms disappear, the boys search for another place to sleep.
  • Wrong Turns: Snoring room, "Wake up!" room, shape room
  • Main Buttons: Vertical/Horizontal
  • Instant Replay: To see the girl on the wheelchair count the number of sides on the shape.
  • Vocabulary: Horizontal(sideways), Vertical(upright), Hexagon
  • Fido the Fly: Fido is seen/mentioned three times. First, David opens the door to Fido's room and the door slams. Second, Fido's alarm is on. Third, Fido is zipped into an imaginary sleeping bag.
  • Puppet: Twice, Puppet needs the brothers to sing him a lullaby so he can sleep and gets an imaginary sleeping bag the next morning.
  • Action Fingers: Shane and David attempt to use Action Fingers to get into Fido's room so they can sleep. The Action Fingers fall asleep, but the brothers do not. When they wake up, they take a tour of the room, trying to find somewhere for the brothers to sleep, suggesting the puppet stage. Later, Shane and David call on Action Fingers to hold their eyes open while they continue their search for sleeping arrangements.
  • Schmuzzies: The Schmuzzies sing back-up during Puppet's lullaby. Shane isn't nervous around them.
  • Souvenir: Sleeping bag

Shane and David do not say, "But whatever you do, don't hit the ______ button."

  
106 "Picnic" 3 November 2005 (2005-11-03) 106
  • Story: Puppet, Shane and David take Fido the Fly on his first-ever picnic.
  • Good Choice Food Room: Sandwich Room
  • Wrong Turns: no-room room, wind room
  • Instant Replay: The boy puts turkey, tomato, lettuce on his sandwich.
  • Vocabulary: Scrumptious (delicious)
  • Main Buttons: Inside/Outside
  • Puppet: Delivery Puppet brings things the boys need for their picnic, while disguising his voice. He then joins the boys. Puppet acts as the ball for their picnic games.
  • Fido the Fly: Fido feels sad because he's never been on a picnic. He comes along to the No-Room Room and the Windy Room. Fido's fly buddies come for the picnic. He eats tiny sandwiches at the picnic.
  • Schmuzzies: They dance beside Puppet, singing "Happy Fly Ditty." Shane doesn't appear to be apprehensive of them.
  • Souvenir: Kite
  
107 "Airport" 4 November 2005 (2005-11-04) 107
  • Story: Shane and David volunteer to pick up Puppet's cousin, Mary Annette (a pun on marionette), at the airport, but have to find it first.
  • Wrong Turns: Bird room, paper airplane room, word room
  • Main Buttons: Vibration
  • Instant Replay: Action Fingers ask to see a girl use sign language to sign the word "plane" again.
  • Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "Jumbo jets, donkeys, and tigers."
  • Action Fingers: Two instances. First, Action Fingers crash-land on a paper airplane, search for Mary Annette inside, then refold it for its owner, Mrs. Foil. Second, they help to translate for a girl using sign language in the Word Room.
  • Puppet: Puppet practices "The Traditional Puppet Family Welcome Song."
  • Schmuzzies: They first relay the message that Mary Annette is at the airport and needs to be picked up right away. (Though Shane thinks they are telling him he has made an unfortunate choice of legwarmers.) Later, they attempt to sing backup for Puppet, but start out being too far in front, and then too far in the back of the puppet stage.
  • Souvenir: Binoculars

This is the only episode that doesn't include the Upside Down button. There is no vocabulary.

  
108 "Beach" 5 November 2005 (2005-11-05) 108
  • Story: After losing the beach ball they were playing with, Shane and David search for the beach to find it.
  • Wrong Turns: Underwater room, desert room, South Pole
  • Main Buttons: Upside Down/Right Side Up
  • Instant Replay: Watch the boy put on a jacket.
  • Vocabulary: Perplexed (confused)
  • Fido the Fly: Fido spies the beach ball on the hedge and tries to tell the boys but they don't turn in time to see it. Fido then flies away.
  • Action Fingers: They rebuild Mrs. Foil's sand castle after David and Shane destroy it.
  • Schmuzzies: They see the beach ball rolling along the hedge outside the window, but David and Shane do not turn around in time. They yell, "Schmeach schmall!". Shane thinks that means his teeth are exploding, so David translates for him using a tiny Schmuzzish-English dictionary.
  • Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "Every afternoon at three, bring your own milk. Which reminds me, did you check the teacup? Fiddle-dee-dee!"
  • Souvenir: Beach balls
  
109 "Marching Band" 5 January 2006 (2006-01-05) 109
  • Story: Shane and David invent imaginary musical instruments and set out to join a marching band.
  • Wrong Turns: Funny music room, marching room, sky room
  • Main Buttons: Accelerate/Decelerate
  • Vocabulary: Accelerate(speed up), Decelerate(slow down)
  • Puppet: Puppet wants to be a bandleader. He is later seen practicing his bandleading on the Schmuzzies, but they get distracted by a dust ball, frustrating Puppet. Then he decides to be a baton. He gets stuck to the ceiling as the boys throw him. The viewers are asked to press the "Unstick" button to get him down. Later, David hears a melodic tune and wonders if it came from Puppet. Puppet offers to demonstrate, and makes a horrifying noise, causing the brothers to frantically request that the viewer "Press the Stop button!"
  • Fido the Fly: Fido is marching behind Schmuzzies.
  • Instant Replay: To see the four children march.
  • Schmuzzies: They march behind Puppet, who initially wants to be bandleader, but get distracted by a dust ball(Schmuzzies love dust). They are later seen in Mrs. Foil's tuba. Shane doesn't appear to be apprehensive of them.
  • Souvenir: Drumpet (drum combined with a trumpet), harmonica, bottle, cymbal, double bass, electric guitar, and xylophone

The bird in the Sky Room sounds like John Lennon, making a reference to the song "Imagine", saying, "No ground below us, only skies."

  
110 "Birthday Party" 10 January 2006 (2006-01-10) 111
  • Story: Shane and David are invited to a surprise birthday party that turns out to be for them.
  • Wrong Turns: No fun room, surprise room, opera room
  • Main Button: Celebration
  • Schmuzzies: They attend the "Schmirthday Schmarty," to which they travel via Mrs. Foil's purse carrying presents.
  • Puppet: First, Puppet is seen in a hurry to get to the party. A delivery Puppet arrives with an invitation to the boys and, in a gruff voice, says, "Delivery for Shane and David and you." Later, Puppet is seen during the party and cleans up after it ends.
  • Fido the Fly: Fido bouncing on a trampoline.
  • Mrs. Foil Funny Expression: "Toodle pip!"
  • Souvenir: Birthday present

Many of the children featured in other episodes attend the party, including the boy from the Sandwich Room in "Picnic", the boy from the Finger Painting Museum in "Art Museum," the girl from the dance studio in "Movie Theater," the girl in the wheelchair from the shape room in "Camping", the boy at the South Pole in "Beach," and one of the girls from the Marching Room in "Marching Band.". From this episode, the girl from the surprise room is present.

  
111 "Farm" 17 January 2006 (2006-01-17) 110
  • Story: Shane and David's band, the Talking Airheads, faces a setback when David's cow bell (which just so happens to be attached to an imaginary cow named Clarabelle) disappears.
  • Wrong Turns: Great big bell room, Pacific Ocean, bicycle room
  • Main Button: Seesaw/Steady, Echo (though in the opening only)
  • Instant Replay: To see the little boy ride the bicycle.
  • Puppet: Is the bandleader and songwriter for the band. When the cow bell disappears, he tries to use music to attract Clarabelle. He plays "Music to Play 'Til the Chickens Come Home", "Udder Chaos", and "Heidi Heifer's Hoedown Hootenanny".
  • Fido the Fly: Playing a trumpet for the band.
  • Schmuzzies: They play the marimba in Shane and David's band. Shane does not appear to be apprehensive of them.
  • Souvenir: Drum sticks, cow bell, cow
  
112 "Ice Cream Truck" 2 February 2006 (2006-02-02) 112
  • Story: Shane and David seek to discover the delicious, delectable, and delightful joys of the frozen treat known as ice cream.
  • Wrong Turns: Frozen room, "this way" room, ice cream game show
  • Main Buttons: Heavy/Light, Zoom In/Zoom Out (seen in the opening only)
  • Puppet: Visits the ice cream truck and appears with an ice cream cone.
  • Fido the Fly: Is drinking a chocolate milkshake. Three other pets are mentioned: Evan the Pig, Helen the baby Hippo, and Georgio the Caterpillar.
  • Instant Replay: To see the little girl named Matilda scooping ice cream.
  • Skater Lady (Mrs. Foil) Funny Expression: "Gotta go, penguin's toes."
  • Schmuzzies: The brothers find a tub of ice cream and attempt to scoop some out, but end up with Schmuzzies in their cones, as the Schmuzzies have finished the ice cream already. Shane seems a little nervous around them, and attempts to engage them in conversation. He misinterprets what they say, and must be assisted by David.
  • Souvenir: Ice cream

Mrs. Foil is featured in all three wrong turn rooms, as well as the ice cream truck itself. There is no vocabulary.

  
113 "Mini Golf" 19 February 2006 (2006-02-19) 113
  • Story: Shane and David are baffled when a mysterious orange thing (a mini golf ball) appears in their living room. They use deductive reasoning to narrow down what it actually is, and where it belongs. They think it's a planet, an orange and a basketball before stumbling on to the real solution.
  • Wrong Turns: Outer space, Orange room, Basketball room
  • Main Buttons: Irish Dancing/Stop Irish Dancing
  • Vocabulary: Baffled (confused)
  • Fido the Fly: Puts the orange thing in his tennis shorts and David and Shane search his pocket; but, at first, they find locker keys and a calculator.
  • Puppet: First, Puppet jump ropes with Shane and David's imaginary rope and trips over it, and goes off to play with his squeegee instead. Later, Puppet uses the orange thing to practice a Shakespearean monologue (Alas, poor Yorick), wearing a red king costume. Puppet is also the one who explains the orange thing's true identity.
  • Action Fingers: They use their Action Noses to locate the Orange Room.
  • Schmuzzies: Two of them play with the orange thing and Shane is unable to retrieve it until David coaches him to say "Schmease" and "Schmank you." David then explains he studied Schmuzzish for seven years, "part-time."
  • Souvenir: Mini-sport items (mini golf club and ball from David, mini basketball from Shane, mini baseball bat from the Schmuzzies, mini ice skates from the Action Fingers, and a mini tennis racket from Fido) and various assorted items playing on the word "mini": Minnie Mouse, Minnie Driver, a miniskirt, Minnie Minor,[5] Mini Major, Minnie the Moocher, Mini Mini(even smaller than a mini), and Mini Ha-Ha (a reference to Minnehaha).
While in the Basketball Room, David, thinking the orange thing is a basketball, gets frustrated that it is not dribbling properly. He yells at the orange thing, "This is your home! It's your home! What's wrong?! You too good for your home?!", a direct allusion to the Adam Sandler film, Happy Gilmore, in which the title character yells almost the exact same speech, also at a golf ball. 

References

External links